Friday, 14 February 2014

Funeral service 13 February 2006 in St Laurence, followed by
burial at St Mary Virgin Churchyard, Fryerning.

Tribute by
Revd. Canon Ivy Crawford (Vicar of Blackmore, 1995 to 2009), with contribution
from Pam Pamplin. Text originally
published on the website of the Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore.

Monty was born in West Ham the eldest of three children. Monty’s father and grandfather had a Corn
Chandlers business. Unfortunately it
caught fire and the business was lost.
The family moved and Monty attended Ruckholt Manor High School in
Leyton. He left school at the age of 14. His first job was painting the black keys on
pianos. Then he went to work for a city
insurance firm, dressed in bowler hat, spats and fancy waistcoat.

Monty’s family were not church goers, although he used to sing in
a church choir because he got paid for it.
A friend invited him to the Plymouth Brethren when he was aged 17. There he met Jesus, and he met Hilda. People thought he was interested in Hilda’s
niece so there was some surprise when people realised he was interested in
Hilda, 20 years his senior. They married
when he was 21 and they shared 40 years of marriage faithfully serving God
through the life of the church. For those of you closest to him you will have
observed that when Monty spoke of his beloved, his eyes would shine and it was
as if he was looking beyond and seeing.
He felt that they had been apart too long. Now they are united in the heavenly
realms.

Monty’s worked for a time in an estate agency, accountancy, a
bookshop, and when he was a door to door salesman selling hoovers, he would
take his little sister with him to help win a sale. He also was a pharmaceuticals and cosmetics
rep specialising in the sale of French perfumes. He became a member of the Commercial
Travellers Christian Association, and was recently made a life member of the
National Club of Christian Businessmen which shares premises with the Carlton
Club in St James’s. During his time in
Blackmore he made regular visits to his club.

Monty served in the Fourth parachute Regiment in the Second World
War but was never allowed to jump, because they considered him to be too
old. He joined the Scripture Gift
Mission as Secretary and was seconded to lead the Gideons International
organisation travelling to America, and the West Indies playing a big part in
their work of getting bibles placed in hotel rooms and hospitals around the
world.

Pam Pamplin:

“I was introduced to him when his wife was in a nursing home, then
given a month, but longed to come home “to die”. They had a further two years together before
she was called “Home”. He loved people
and Blackmore responded. He knew not one
home would close its doors to him. In
these early days of his ministry, he would rise at 5am and walk round every
road, praying for its residents.

“What fellowship was to be enjoyed in that home over meals, the
beginning and ending of each day. The
Bible was precious to us all, every question was thoughtfully answered. Now he is at “Home” with the Lord who blessed
his faithful witness, and his wife whom he loved so much.”

Monty was a lay reader and with encouragement from his friend
Canon Druitt went forward for ordination.
In 1955 he was ordained in Chelmsford Cathedral and was Curate at St
Mary’s Walthamstow, serving with Canon Druitt before moving to Blackmore in
1957 to become Vicar after a seven year interregnum. Monty said that when he came with his wife
to see the parish, it was as though an inner voice said here is a task which
has been saved for you. He remained Vicar
of this parish until he retired in 1985.
He was also Rector of Stondon Massey from 1980. He wasted no time bringing forward new
initiatives. A junior church, scripture
union branch and Women’s meeting began within months of his arrival. The latter would incorporate the Mothers’
Union which has been in existence in the parish for 99 years. He started a branch of the Girl Guides and
would visit them at their camps.

He was radical in his thinking.
He was the first Vicar to hold Barn dances in church. Some objected. When
the PCC voted to replace the rush seated wooden chairs with traditional pews,
Monty wrote to the then Bishop of Bradwell saying “I feel we are making a
mistake”, to which the Bishop replied “this application is going to cause a lot
of trouble”. In the event, the Diocesan
Advisory Committee rejected the application as they couldn’t recommend the
design for the pews. The present chairs
were substituted for the pews. Monty
sought to get the PCC to agree to the removal of the rood screen so that the
stained glass window could be seen and the chancel have flexible use. He did not succeed on that, but then in 1987
God sent a flood and the new incumbent with his PCC agreed to have the screen
moved and repositioned.

Monty was keen to get the church to reach out to the new community
in the parish. The PCC minutes of 1967
recorded that the population had more than doubled. In 1969 a guide company was formed and a
Flower Festival held. The Rose Garden of
Jericho Priory was open to visitors. In
1970 a new school was opened and in 1974 close relations were fostered with the
Baptist Church. With Pastor Doug Frances
wonderful co-operation and joint youth work ensued. Peter Hunt was Monty’s Reader in the parish
church and Peter after Monty’s retirement became Pastor of Baptist Church. Both churches maintained their identity and
testimony to those who ministered at that time, dozens of the young people have
kept the faith, run the race and introduced many others to Jesus.

As Monty put in when writing in the Jubilee Festival booklet in
1977:

“These are not days for stay at home church but for an outgoing,
caring, holy and serving church.”

Monty as priest of our two parishes lived out the words he wrote.

Such was the respect with which he was held that when Monty
celebrated 25 years as Vicar here the parishioners had a collection and raised
enough money for him to visit friends he had made through his work with Gideons
in the United States of America and Canada.
On the evening of the presentation Revd John Fleetwood took Eamon
Andrews place and sprung ‘Monty Knott: This is Your Life’ on him.

In a newspaper article written on the occasion of his 25th
anniversary as Vicar here, he is recorded as saying,

“If I had to
make any comment on my years here I think I would say thank you to the people
of Blackmore because if I am anything of a man at all, and have been of any use
here, it is entirely due to their help and the work of God”

Monty was a faithful witness.
He was noted for his early morning walks around the parish. A policeman
stopped him one morning to enquire what he was doing because he was wandering
around the roads so early, not much looking like a vicar dressed in what was
described “in his old clothes”. While
the walks started as a means of guarding his health, they became prayer walks. By
the end of the week he had walked along every road and prayed for every
household.

Monty was a great councillor, would listen quietly to any problem
and then pray with people. He made no
distinction between those who went to church and those who didn’t. He spoke to everyone. He took their weddings, baptised their
children, prepared the young people for confirmation, buried their
grandparents, visited people who were ill or lonely, happy or sad.

He was Chair of Governors at Blackmore School, and on occasions
took Religious Education lessons at Brentwood County High School leaving a
lasting impression on every young life.

He loved being with the children so went on school outings. I heard of one child who wanted to walk to
top of Dome in St Paul’s. So Monty said,
“I’ll go”.

On his retirement the school treated Monty to a trip in a hot air
balloon. Every organisation put an
arrangement in church for a flower festival.
Monty was so much a part of their growing up that it is difficult to
think how it would have been without him.
He was always part of things going on in the church and village, so much
so that after his retirement he kept being invited back to events.

Stories are told of how for the annual gift day he would sit on
Horsefayre Green with a bucket so people could bring their gifts of money for
church funds. For the village fayres he
would dress up as a Monk, At one such event he had just declared something
about the glory of the Lord, when the heavens opened. I gather that it usually rained when Monty attended
outdoor events, so much so that folks thought of not telling him about them!!

Monty is remembered by many for his atrocious driving - wrong side
of the road stuff as well as, waving at people on both sides of the street with
both hands at the same time when going through the village!!

He is also remembered for being charming with the ladies. He’d greet many with the words “How’s my
favourite girl.” He obviously had lots
of favourites. On the days he would take
the bus into Chelmsford he would use the Moulsham Street Café and the ladies
would almost fight to get buying him his coffee. When he retired he’s go on
coach outings with Jericho Club.

Monty always enjoyed social occasions. He’s had plenty of practice with his regular
visits to the Carlton Club premises.
When Hilda died, Monty accompanied Joan Hobbs when she was Chair of
Brentwood Council. The Council was involved in town twinning and Monty went on
trips abroad. Monty often spoke of his
forgettery. Even then his forgettery got him into some difficulties. He couldn’t remember where he was staying. Thankfully on the occasions when he would
forget to turn up for services someone would run to the Vicarage to get him.

On retiring to Ingatestone he led services at St Edmunds and at St
Mary’s. As the years progressed although
his memory got worse and his body frail, he never wavered in his faith. Revd Frances Drake told me that when she had
responsibility for Ingatestone and Fryerning during the interregnum Monty would
give her a blessing when she visited him.
She would kneel in humility at his feet, knowing she was kneeling before
a holy man of God.

Monty touched so many lives.
When every morning he would go and sit in Ravens Coffee shop, people
would know they would find him there.
Frances also said that when she would sit in Ravens, people would ask
her what she was doing. She would reply,
“Having a Monty moment”. To be available
to the people was Monty’s gift. He would
sit on the bench outside St Edmunds, and watch the world go by. On pension day he would call in to the United
Reformed Church coffee shop and chat to all the customers. On Sundays he would
walk to the Woolpack at Fryerning for lunch.
He was known wherever he went. He
fulfilled the promise God had given him in that hospital bed so many years
earlier…

I shall not
die but live and declare the works of the Lord”

How good it was that he had been granted such a long life in which
to do just that. When he reached his 100th
birthday your greetings were received with as much delight as the card from the
Queen and a letter and signed photograph from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

PSALM 16 was a Psalm which Monty would quote when speaking with
people. It is a beautiful example of a
psalmist communing with his God. It is
an outpouring of gratitude and portrays vividly the sense of contentment with
his lot. Monty could align himself with
the depth of relationship with God as expressed through the words.

The Psalmist cannot sufficiently express his soul-felt recognition
of the fact that his happy state is due to the loving kindness of God. He contrasts this with the life those without
God have. But this thought is fleeting
and he quickly returns to the joyful recognition of the favour shown to him by
God. His sense of gratitude is increased
by the certainty that God’s loving mercy will continue and that he will be kept
from all harm.

The prayer with which the psalm opens “Preserve me O God”, is for
the continuance of the happy conditions in which the psalmist is living. It is
the prayer of faith. The Psalmist knows
it is to God alone he owes his present state.

The psalmist goes on to declare that greater than the material
benefits is the spiritual blessing of God’s guidance. Monty
knew God preserving him in life and guiding him in his path through life. For
Monty walking with God is the fullness of joy.

On the inside cover of a Bible Monty gave to a young couple on
their wedding day 46 years ago, he wrote, “Let this book be your guide through
life. So shall you prosper”.

May you too allow the God who guided Monty to be your guide and
constant companion now and always.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

"A selfie": Self portrait of Montague Hardwick Knotttaken at home in the dining room, 1954

Blackmore History has been given an archive of material by family members of the late Montague Hardwick Knott (1905 - 2006), Vicar of Blackmore from 1957 to 1985. Material will be published on this site throughout 2014.

The whereabouts of their grave puzzled me.
By chance or coincidence, I was visiting the Essex Record Office today and knew
that it has in the archive a book of ‘Monumental Inscriptions for St Laurence,
Blackmore’ (ERO T/Z 151/109) produced by the Essex Family History Society. It
is dated 1997. There is another copy in the church safe which I saw about 10
years ago. It gives the location of
every grave and inscription to that date. Your great grandfather is buried in a grave in
a tight corner of the churchyard to the right of the public footpath which runs
through it. The graves are very overgrown.
I took a couple of photos before
nightfall, and attach them.

The inscriptions, which I could not see,
but were recorded by the EFHS as:

150 Kerb with corner post and large cross
lying flat.

East end: Thomas Read Hull / born December
16 1845 died January 31 1915

North side: also his wife Alice Ellen Hull
/ born June 27 1847, died November 12 1924 /

151 Kerb with large cross lying flat [tight
in the corner of the churchyard]

East end: Alice Janet Hull / born 26th
January 1876 died 23rd June 1920.

For notes which I took at the ERO ten years
ago, Mr J R Hull gave a strip of land 36 feet wide to the west of the public
footpath, setting aside a plot for himself by the entrance. This was in
1899. (ERO D/C/C50/2).

His name also appears as Chairman of the
meeting held to elect and form a Parish Council on 4 December 1894. He did not
become a Parish Councillor. (ERO D/P 266/11)

The third picture is dated 9 June 1902
which must have a picture of your relatives on it – probably at the centre.
Please let me know if you recognise them.

I hope this is all useful. It has been
interesting to fill some gaps.

Regards

Andrew

Received 4 February 2014

Dear Andrew.

Thank you so very much for this.
I was delighted to receive this information - us armchair sleuths have a great
deal to be grateful for to people like yourself.

I have a memory of visiting The Priory
with my Father (Read Hull's grandson) - the house was then called Jericho and
my father was brought up there with his sister by his paternal uncle and aunt.
I don't remember finding the grave so your photos are indeed valuable to me.

I was aware of the splendid
photograph - but only recently - and my brother thought I bore a striking
resemblance to one of the maiden aunts. But that's brothers for you.

I intend to visit Blackmore soon
so I will go and pay my familial respects to Great Grandad.

Saturday, 1 February 2014

Doddinghurst residents are raising money to build a new War Memorial outside All Saints Church. It is expected to be completed and unveiled this year, marking the centenary of the start of the First World War. It will bear 20 names of the fallen: ten from the First World War, ten from the Second World War. Doddinghurst already has a commemorative plaque inside the church bearing the names of those who died in the Great War. For more read http://www.brentwoodgazette.co.uk/Memorial-group-hoping-make-target-pound-15k/story-20444652-detail/story.html

Blackmore Area Local History website has dedicated pages to those named on the Doddinghurst War Memorial.

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Blackmore Area Local History

I am a keen amateur local historian who has always lived in the CM4 postal district (Ingatestone and Blackmore).
I am currently running an interim blog for the Essex Society for Archaeology and History - see esah160.blogspot.co.uk - and have recently completed a Certificate in Local History at the University of Essex.
The purpose of this blog (which began in 2007) and partner website is simply to encourage everyone to consider, explore and learn about their local heritage and history. The Internet is a marvellous resource and enables people from around the corner and around the world to share.
Enjoy the journey of discovery.